Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium

ABSTRACT

An image processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a separation section that separates image components having different attributes contained in electronic document data expressing an original image; a selection section that selects which mode from plural modes including a reusability emphasis mode for performing predetermined re-laying out of the image components with emphasis on reusability; and a generation section that re-lays the image components separated by the separation section according to the mode selected by the selection section, and generates software data corresponding to software for use.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2010-052066 filed on Mar. 9, 2010.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an imageprocessing method, and a storage medium.

2. Related Art

Techniques have been proposed for separating plural image componentsfrom electronic document data obtained by reading-in and digitizingoriginal images that include plural image components having differentattributes, such as photographs, lines, text, tables and the like, andthen generating electronic document data by handling the separated imagecomponents as units.

SUMMARY

The present invention improves reusability during reuse of separatedimage components.

An image processing apparatus of a first aspect of the present inventionincludes: a separation section that separates image components havingdifferent attributes contained in electronic document data expressing anoriginal image; a selection section that selects which mode from pluralmodes including a reusability emphasis mode for performing predeterminedre-laying out of the image components with emphasis on reusability; anda generation section that re-lays the image components separated by theseparation section according to the mode selected by the selectionsection, and generates software data corresponding to software for use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described indetail based on the following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an imageprocessing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of theimage processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of selecting required componentsfrom within plural pages;

FIG. 4 is diagram showing an example in which text data processed as acharacter is laid out overlaying a graphic image component;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for performingvarious settings in an image processing apparatus according to theexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of flow of processingperformed by the image processing apparatus of an exemplary embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of re-laying out image componentswith an original image of a single page, in a case where a reusabilityemphasis mode has been selected, in an image processing apparatusaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,; and

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of re-laying out image componentswith an original image of plural pages, in a case where a reusabilityemphasis mode has been selected, in an image processing apparatusaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Detailed explanation follows of an example of an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention, with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is adiagram showing a schematic configuration of an image processingapparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

An image processing apparatus 10 according to the present exemplaryembodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, includes an image input device 12, astorage device 14, a communication section 16, an operation section 18,a working storage area 20 and a controller 22, respectively connectedtogether, with the overall apparatus controlled by the controller 22.

The image input device 12 inputs electronic document data expressing anoriginal image. For example, the image input device 12 may be configuredwith an image reading-in device that reads-in an original image andconverts it into electronic document data, or configured with a storagemedium on which electronic document data is stored.

The storage device 14 is stored with electronic document data input bythe image input device 12 and is also stored, for example, with aprogram for separating plural image components with different attributescontained in the electronic document data (image components withdifferent attributes such as text, graphics such as computer graphics(CG), lines, photographs, tables and the like) and generating electronicdocument data of a format enabling reuse of the image components. Such aprogram is for execution by the controller 22.

The communication section 16 is connected to a communication unit, suchas, for example, a network, and the communication section 16 iscommunicated with external data processing devices (such as, forexample, a personal computer, an image forming device and the like) viathe communication unit, and data is transmitted and received.

The operation section 18 includes operation buttons and a displaydevice, and, for example, various settings are made to the imageprocessing apparatus 10, execution of the above described program isinstructed, and the like, by operation of the operation buttonsaccording to data displayed on the display device.

The working storage area 20 functions as a working storage area when theabove described program is being executed, and functions as a workingstorage area when the controller 22 is performing various controloperations of the image processing apparatus 10.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of theimage processing apparatus 10 according to the present exemplaryembodiment.

The controller 22 of the image processing apparatus 10 functions as: aread-in image data acquiring section 24; a layout analyzing section 26;an image component type determination section 28; various datageneration sections 30 that perform data generation by type of imagecomponent (a text data generation section 30A, a graphic (CG) datageneration section 30B, a line data generation section 30C, a photographdata generation section 30D, a table data generation section 30E); aninter-page layout changing section 32, and a software data generationsection 34.

The read-in image data acquiring section 24 acquires electronic documentdata input by, for example, the image input device 12 or the like, andacquires electronic document data stored, for example, on a storagemedium or the like.

The layout analyzing section 26 analyzes the electronic document dataacquired by the read-in image data acquiring section 24, and determinesregions of image components by extracting regions of, for example, text,graphics (CG), lines, photographs and the like. The analyzing section 26employs known techniques capable of determining image component regions.For example, the image component regions can be determined by processingof binarization and labeling the electronic document data, thenconnecting images that have been label processed.

The image component type determination section 28 determines the type ofthe image components, based on various characteristic amounts, such asthe density distribution of the image components and the like, separatesthe image components, and applies attributes thereto. The type of theimage component can also be determined in the determination section 28using a known technique. For example, employable techniques areincluded: for example, a technique described in JP-A No. 9-91450,utilizing characteristic amounts on an image such as, for example,position, size, shape, construction, density distribution, or the like;and a technique described in JP-A No. 2002-300408, utilizing a layoutanalysis method in which, as pre-processing during text recognition usedin optical character recognition, text images are classified into textregions, and photograph, graphic and table regions. As the type of imagecomponent for determination there are, for example, text, graphics (CG),lines, photographs, tables, and the like.

The various data generation sections 30 (the text data generationsection 30A, the graphic (CG) data generation section 30B, the line datageneration section 30C, the photograph data generation section 30D, thetable data generation section 30E) generate data according to the typeof each of the image component determined by the image component typedetermination section 28. Note that when there are image componentscorresponding to plural types of attribute, configuration may be madesuch that data is generated for the image components in the expressionformat corresponding to the respective type.

The inter-page layout changing section 32 re-lays out the data generatedby each of the various data generation sections 30 with the expressionformat corresponding to the type of the image component. For example, incases where an original layout emphasis mode is selected by theoperation section 18, to accurately represent the layout of an original,a layout matching that of the original is determined, and in cases wherea predetermined reusability emphasis mode is selected by the operationsection 18, a layout is determined by each type of image component, suchthat the image components separated by the image component typedetermination section 28 are easily utilized when reusing the imagecomponents. Namely, in the reusability emphasis mode, each of the imagecomponents, such as text, graphic, line, photograph and table imagecomponents, are extracted by type of the image component, and the imagecomponents are laid-out on separate pages by type of the imagecomponent, so as to give page(s) in which the text image components arecollected together, page(s) in which the graphic image components arecollected together, and so on, or the particular image components thathave been designated by the operation section 18 are extracted and laidout thus.

The software data generation section 34, re-lays out the data generatedby the various data generation sections 30 according to the layoutdetermined by the inter-page layout changing section 32, and generatessoftware data corresponding to software designated by the operationsection 18.

Normally, in cases where various types of image component included in anoriginal image are being separated and reused, as shown in FIG. 3, imagecomponents to be reused need to be selected from within plural pages oforiginal image. For example, even in cases where only the two tablesshown within the broken lines are wanted, a cumbersome operation,involving user operation to turn over all of the pages of convertedsoftware data corresponding to software used for all pages, is requiredin order to identify and select the required image components.

Furthermore, in cases where the image components have been separated,cases arise in which text data processed as a character is laid outoverlaying a graphic image component, as shown in FIG. 4, and selectionoperation for one or other is cumbersome in such cases.

However, the image processing apparatus 10 according to the presentexemplary embodiment has a reusability emphasis mode for use in thesoftware data generation section 34 for converting to software data,this being a layout mode that facilitates reuse of the image components.When this reusability emphasis mode has been selected, plural imagecomponents included in the original image are separated, and, asdescribed above, the inter-page layout changing section 32 changes thelayout of the image components by the type of the image component andgenerates the software data. Due thereto, since the respective imagecomponents are collected together by the type of the image component,cumbersome operation when reusing the image components is suppressed.

Explanation follows regarding a configuration of the operation section18 for instructing the above described reusability emphasis mode, andthe like. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen forperforming various settings in the image processing apparatus 10according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The operation section 18 is configured including a display section fordisplaying a screen for performing various settings, and the varioussettings are performed by operation of the operation section 18. Thedisplay section provided to the operation section 18 displays, forexample, a setting screen like that shown in FIG. 5. The example displayof FIG. 5 shows an example of a screen for respectively selecting “colormode”, “output data format”, “output mode”, and “designated imagecomponent”.

In the example of FIG. 5, one or other of “full color”, “gray scale”,and “binarized black and white” is selectable as the “color mode”,allowing setting of one output in one or other of the color modes.

One or other of “spreadsheet”, “word processing”, “presentation” and“image component compliant software” is selectable for “output dataformat”, such that the data format of the data for output is selectable.Namely, one or other of spreadsheet software, word processing software,presentation software, or image component compliant softwarecorresponding to the type of image component, is selectable as theoutput format.

One or other of “original layout emphasis mode” or “reusability emphasismode” is selectable for “output mode”. When original layout emphasismode has been selected, the electronic document data expressing theoriginal image input by the image input device 12 is generated withsoftware data according to the output data format. When reusabilityemphasis mode has been selected, so as to facilitate use during reuse ofseparated image components, the image components included in theoriginal image are re-laid out by type of image component, and softwaredata is generated according to the output data format. Note that whileexplanation is given in the present exemplary embodiment of an examplein which there are two modes of “output mode”, there is no limitation totwo modes, and configuration may be made with three of more types ofmode provided. For example, configuration may be made such that afurther mode is provided that generates software data according to theoriginal layout emphasis mode as well as generating software dataaccording to the reusability emphasis mode.

In “designated image component”, one or more option is/are selectablefrom “all”, “photographs”, “graphics”, “text”, and “tables”, and incases where the reusability emphasis mode has been selected, the userdesired type of image component is settable. Namely, in cases where thereusability emphasis mode has been selected, it is possible to extractdesired type(s) of image component for conversion into software data.

Explanation follows regarding the processing performed by the imageprocessing apparatus 10 according to the exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, configured as described above. FIG. 6 is a flow chartshowing an example of processing flow performed by the image processingapparatus 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention. The flow of processing is shown for a case in which a programstored on the storage device 14 is executed by the controller 22.

At step 100, acquisition of original image data is performed accordingto the settings, and processing then proceeds to step 102. For example,whether to acquire an original image read-in by an image reading-indevice as electronic document data, or whether to acquire electronicdocument data stored, for example, in the storage device 14, is settableby selecting the “reading-in method” on the setting screen in FIG. 5,and the read-in image data acquiring section 24 acquires the originalimage data according to this setting.

At step 102, image component separation is performed and processingproceeds to step 104. In image component separation, analysis isperformed on the acquired electronic document data by the layoutanalyzing section 26, regions of text, graphics (CG), lines,photographs, tables and the like, are extracted and image componentregions determined, with the image components being extracted by theimage component type determination section 28. Then, data of expressionformat according to the type of each image component is generated by thevarious data generation sections 30 (the text data generation section30A, the CG data generation section 30B, the line data generationsection 30C, the photograph data generation section 30D and the tabledata generation section 30E).

At step 104, determination is made as to whether or not reusabilityemphasis mode has been set. It is determined whether or not theoperation section 18 has been operated to set the reusability emphasismode. When negative determination is made (in the present exemplaryembodiment: when the original layout emphasis mode has been set),processing proceeds to step 106, and when affirmative determination ismade processing proceeds to step 108.

At step 106, a file of the designated format is generated in which theimage components have been re-laid out, and processing proceeds to step114. Namely, data in the expression format according to the type of eachof the image components generated by the various data generationsections 30 (the text data generation section 30A, the CG datageneration section 30B, the line data generation section 30C, thephotograph data generation section 30D and the table data generationsection 30E) is re-laid out in a similar manner to as in the originalimage, and the software data generation section 34 generates a file(software data) according to the output data format designated by theoperation section 18. The image components are thus re-laid out in areusable format, and the original image is accurately reproduced.

At step 108, determination is made as to whether or not to extractparticular type(s) of image component. It is determined whether“designated image components” (one or more option from “all”,“photographs”, “graphics”, “text”, and “tables”) has been selected onthe setting screen shown in FIG. 5 by operation of the operation section18, and when affirmative determination is made, processing proceeds tostep 110, and when negative determination is made processing proceeds tostep 112.

At step 110, the particular type(s) of image components are extractedand re-laid out, a file of the designated format is generated, andprocessing proceeds to step 114. Namely, the inter-page layout changingsection 32 extracts the type(s) of image component designated by theoperation section 18 and re-lays out the data of the expression formataccording to the type of image component, and the software datageneration section 34 generates a file (software data) according to theoutput data format designated by the operation section 18. In caseswhere plural “designated image components” have been designated,configuration may be made such that the image components are re-laid outwith a page separation by type of image component, and a file isgenerated according to the output data format.

At step 112, the image components are re-laid out by their type, a fileof the designated format is generated, and processing proceeds to step114. Namely, the inter-page layout changing section 32 extracts theimage components by type and re-lays out the data of the expressionformat according to image component type, and the software datageneration section 34 generates a file (software data) according to theoutput data format designated by the operation section 18. For example,in a case of an original image with page 1 like that shown in FIG. 7(1), configuration may be made such that re-laying out is by positioningdifferent types of image component by page, so as to give a table imagecomponent page (FIG. 7 (2)), a photograph image component page (FIG. 7(3)), a graphic image component page (FIG. 7 (4)), a table-without-textimage component page (FIG. 7 (5)), a text image component page (FIG. 7(6)), and the like, and a file is generated. Alternatively,configuration may be made such that different types of image componentare re-laid out by collecting together by page, and a file is generated.In cases in which the original image is plural pages, as shown in FIG. 8(1), configuration may be made such that re-laying out is performed suchthat different types of image components are collected together by eachpage, so as to give a page on which the table image components of eachof the pages of the original image are collected together (FIG. 8 (2)),a page on which the photograph image components of each of the pages ofthe original image are collected together (FIG. 8 (3)), a page on whichthe graphic image components of each of the pages of the original imageare collected together (FIG. 8 (4)), a page on which the text imagecomponents of each of the pages of the original image are collectedtogether (FIG. 8 (5)), and the like, and a file is generated. In suchcases, an attribute indicating which page the image component was on inthe original image may be applied, such as, for example, as a propertyof the image component. In cases where the designated output data formatis set as “image component compliant software”, software data isgenerated according to the type of the image components. Namely, theimage components are split up with one type of image component for eachpage, and software data is generated according to the type of imagecomponent on each page.

Then, at step 114, file(s) generated at one or other of steps 106, 110,and 112 are output, completing one cycle of processing. Configurationmay be made such that, for example, the output destination of thefile(s) is output and storage on the storage device 14, output to apredetermined output destination, or output to an output destinationpreset by the operation section 18.

In this manner, with the image processing apparatus 10 according to thepresent exemplary embodiment, finding the required image component isfacilitated when reusing image components in cases in which reusabilityemphasis mode is selected, since the image components are re-laid outaccording to type of image component, improving reusability duringreuse.

Note that while explanation has been given with reference to an imageprocessing apparatus in the above exemplary embodiments, application maybe made to an image forming apparatus provided with an image reading-indevice for reading-in original images.

Furthermore, while explanation has been given in the above exemplaryembodiments of processing performed by execution of a program, there isno limitation thereto, and configuration may be made with hardwareexecution.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention has been provided for the purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modificationsand variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. Theexemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explainthe principles of the invention and its practical applications, therebyenabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments and with the various modifications as are suited tothe particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of theinvention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

1. An image processing apparatus comprising: a separation section thatseparates image components having different attributes contained inelectronic document data expressing an original image; a selectionsection that selects which mode from a plurality of modes including areusability emphasis mode for performing predetermined re-laying out ofthe image components with emphasis on reusability; and a generationsection that re-lays the image components separated by the separationsection according to the mode selected by the selection section, andgenerates software data corresponding to software for use.
 2. The imageprocessing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the generation section, incases where the reusability emphasis mode has been selected by theselection section, re-lays out the image components separated by theseparation section with a page separation by type of image component,and generates the software data.
 3. The image processing apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the generation section, in cases where the reusabilityemphasis mode has been selected by the selection section, extracts andcollects together the image components of a pre-designated type, andgenerates the software data.
 4. The image processing apparatus of claim3, wherein the generation section, in cases where the reusabilityemphasis mode has been selected by the selection section, generates thesoftware data corresponding to software according to the type of theimage components separated by the separation section.
 5. The imageprocessing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the generation section re-laysout the image components in an expression format according to the typeof the image component separated by the separation section, andgenerates the software data.
 6. The image processing apparatus of claim5, wherein, when the separation section separates the image components,if there are image components corresponding to a plurality ofattributes, the generation section re-lays out the image components inan expression format corresponding to the respective image component,and generates software data.
 7. The image processing apparatus of claim1, wherein: the original image has a plurality of pages; and thegeneration section, in cases where the reusability emphasis mode hasbeen selected by the selection section, re-lays out the image componentssuch that different image components separated by the separation sectionare collected together on each page, and generates the software data. 8.The image processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein an attributeindicating which page an image component was on in the original image isapplied as a property of the image component.
 9. An image processingmethod comprising: separating image components having differentattributes contained in electronic document data expressing an originalimage; selecting which mode from a plurality of modes including areusability emphasis mode for performing predetermined re-laying out ofthe image components with emphasis on reusability; and re-laying theimage components according to the selected mode and generating softwaredata corresponding to software for use.
 10. A computer readable mediumstoring an information processing program that causes a computer tooperate as the image processing apparatus according to claim 1.